G-Switch

G-Switch Multiplayer: Six People, One Keyboard, and the Rules That Keep It Civil

Published · 1 min read

Setting it up

On the title screen, pick a number from 2 to 6 under Multiplayer. The setup screen shows a keyboard and assigns one key to each runner; you can change a runner's key by choosing another one on the keyboard picture. Once every runner has a key, Space starts round one. Everybody races the same track, and a runner is out when the screen scrolls past them.

Which keys

Six people cannot all reach the arrow keys. Spread the runners across the keyboard so nobody's hand covers someone else's key: the far left (Q, Z), the middle (V, B), the right (M, the arrows) and the numeric pad if there is one. Keys that share a row with someone else's are the ones that get pressed by mistake.

Why the leader loses

The runner in front meets every new piece of track first and has to decide the flip with no information. Everyone behind sees what the leader did and whether it worked. Over a long track the leader makes more mistakes, so a sensible race is run a step behind the front and won on the last stretch. Blocking does not exist — runners pass through each other — so there is no penalty for sitting in the pack.

Rounds and scoring

The race is a series of rounds; the last runner still on screen wins the round and the game keeps count. Agree on a target before you start — first to five is about right — because a round can end in ten seconds when the first gap catches four people at once.

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